Monster Hunter: Solitude
by Vance Lacette
Summary: Takes place shortly after Tri. Vance Lacette has been plagued with remorse for a long lost friend, and leaves after he and his group of hunters slays the dragon Alatreon.
1. Authors Note

Author's Note

Vance Lacette

First off, let me start off by saying I apologize for the long silence and no new chapters being posted. Hit a bit of writers block, and then the holidays blind sided me. With the new year starting I am now getting back in the swing of things.

I've gone through and re-proof read everything. My God the mistakes I found. I'm ashamed of myself. They've been fixed, and hopefully I got everything!

I will try to post a new story pertaining to another character soon. Keep your eyes open.

Enjoy, and happy hunting.

Vance Lacette


	2. Chapter 1

**I**

Back At Home

The streets were busy this day. Merchants proudly boasting about their unbeatable prices on exotic goods, the bards singing and playing various tunes, and people hustling past each other to get to certain goods before other shoppers, or to try and get by the crowd in general. The harsh sun above them nothing more than a small inconvenience.

Everything was exactly the same when he had left six years ago.

He stood next to the cities main fountain that was near the center of the city, looking all about him as he recalled the streets of this area. His silver locks falling over his eyes, only to be brushed away with a slide of his fingers. Collecting the sweat that moistened his hair each time he had to brush the strands away. His emerald eyes scanning each roadway, each building within the distance as he placed more and more completed pieces to a puzzle that was this city.

This city. Averos. A bustling republic that nestled itself along the coast and near a small chain of mountains. The city was a half circle, with the south portion taking that shape and the north a jagged line that was the coast. Several docks stretched out into the sea for the many merchant ships that came in, a single large gate in the southern part of the city where people entered and left freely. Palm trees dotted the area in groups of three to seven, each accompanied by various bushes and flowers around their base. This greenery added a bit more color to the city, since most of the buildings were a grainy red color. In the center however, stood the tall palace of the proud city. It's walls pure white, the balconies a mixture of ruby red and emerald green. Seven spires rose up from the base of the palace, the dome tops nearly blending in with the sky due to their sapphire blue color. A gorgeous sight indeed to those who visited.

The young mans emerald orbs were focused on the palace, his thoughts on the leader that resided inside. He wondered how he was doing, though the answer was quite clear since the city was still here and bustling with business as usual. So the man shrugged the thoughts away, and let his gaze fall over towards the west side of the city. It was there, by the western wall, where his former home used to be.

'Used to be. Before the accident. Oh how Vance Lacette became notoriously famous that day...'

Vance remembered the details of the incident like it happened the day before. His home, his workshop where he studied engineering and created a number of odd and wonderful machines. His only problem? There wasn't a lot of buyers interested in his goods. People around the world were afraid of changes, especially to anything new, or in combat. A reasonable fear when one thought about it. Staring in the face of an enraged wyvern with a faulty weapon was something nobody wished for. The fact still remained though, so Vance kept most of his works inside his workshop and made a living repairing the machines that broke down within the city. Most of his living any ways, for the other portion came from "Monster Hunting".

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he shifted the human sized back pack from his left shoulder to the right. With another stroke of his fingers through his silver mane, moving the locks from his face once again, Vance started his way to the western edge of the city.

~VL~

The area around the western wall was a desolate place. Mounds of rubble laid scattered across the streets, alleyways empty from what would of been the usual characters that resided there. What was left of any buildings along that block of land was now the new homes for anyone homeless, rogue, or too poor to spend some coin for a room in a tavern. In the past before the incident, this section of the city was clean, safe and the busiest part of the market. Now it was nothing more than a scar that reminded Vance, and anyone who was native to the city, the horrible events that took place within the young mans former home.

He stood in front of a pile of rubble that used to be his house. A few support masts stuck up from the rocky pile. He wondered why they didn't bother to clean this section of the city up, especially since it has been six years. Yet here it was, completely untouched. It made a good place for the various rogues and cutthroats of the city, which would make them easier to corner for the city guard. Whatever the case, he didn't care. Here he was, in a city that exiled him for the accident in front of his former home in what was now the bad part of town. He could feel several sets of eyes watching him, but no one attacked anybody in broad daylight. Even here people would be able to witness crimes. So rogues wisely did their crimes at night. Or perhaps it was because Vance himself looked like a homeless bum trying to find a place to rest. His silver mane was unkempt, almost scraggly. A wild beard on his face that desperately needed a good trim, or just to be shaved off completely. His white tunic and black pants along side with his knapsack caked with the desert sands. It was his appearance right now that got him back into the city without question.

So why did he come back?

The thought lingered with him for a few minutes, but with a shrug he pushed the thought away. Running a hand through his silver mane, he sighed and turned away from his former home, deciding that he should go to the east side of the city. His steps a bit quicker than before, since he was tired of being out in the sun. His destination? A house. To see an old friend.


	3. Chapter 2

**II Old Acquaintances**

Garyold was having another one of his days. Desk covered with stacks of papers and books, each individual pillar about three feet tall. With even more, taller stacks dotted around the entire floor. Not to mention the walls lined with shelves of books on chemistry, physics, and other types of scientific subjects. Before the old man was an open book, where the pages were empty of any words or numbers. Beside it laid an ink container with a feather pen nestled in the black fluid. Awaiting for the hand that would take control of it. If only the old man could will himself to work this day.

After rubbing his blue eyes, he let one hand slide to the top of his bald head while the other slid down under his chin. Scratching both sides as he hummed to himself, trying to let his mind fly off into his vast knowledge of science. Still there was nothing but a wall he kept running into, however his frustration didn't show despite the lack of motivation. Over the past few weeks he was trying to come up with a new medical adhesive that could potentially replace the medical potions that many people relied on, but the only problem he was having was finding the right combination of substances that would actually do what he wanted, and not the opposite. So far he had went through five different volunteers, and each of them had some type of negative reaction to the mix. The worse one causing limb numbness where the bandage was placed. The old man wanted to believe that it was bad luck and the volunteers had an allergic reaction, but the fact that it was five in a row made him doubt that. Only one good possibility came with one combination, but it was nothing more than a cream that helped made scars disappear.

_-Clink-_

A small tap on his window brought the old man out of the chemical world in his head, and back to a room that was littered with papers and books. With a sigh, he murmured to himself as he stood up from his desk and slowly walked over to the window. Gazing upon the street below, all he saw was a man with long silver hair in scraggly clothing carrying a backpack the size of himself. The old man drew a perplexed look on his face until the man in the street cleared the bangs from his face. Almost instantly the old man gasped and fled the room. He nearly fell down the stairs trying to get to the door. When he got to the door, he unlatched the locks, threw the door open, and was greeted by the man who he saw in the street. Garyold reached out, grabbing the mans shirt and yanked him inside. With a slam of the door, the old man put his back to it, and stared at the young man before him. There was an awkward silence between the two, but the old man broke it after a moment.

"Vance? You're risking quite a lot by showing up here!" said the old man in a harsh whisper, as if the walls themselves had ears. The young man merely shrugged Garyolds concerns away then replied in a normal tone. "It's been six years Gary, and the city guards didn't even show a hint of recognition when I walked through the main gate."

The old man let out a soft chuckle, patting his young friend on the shoulder as he calmed down. "Well, with a look of a city beggar I barely recognized you until you moved the hair away from your face." The young man blinked a few times as he ran a hand through his silver mane. He couldn't argue with Garyold though, since his appearance matched that of a street bum and it was the aiding factor in him getting back into the city.

Vance let his bag drop against the wall and then rotated his shoulders a bit, wincing as he finally let the muscles move about more than they had for the past few hours. The old man approached him, dropping an arm across the back of Vance's shoulders as he led him towards the dining room. "Bah I'm sure you'll work on your appearance once you leave. But before that you must tell me how you been these past six years! I'm sure you got plenty of stories to tell!"

~VL~

The young prince sat in the throne room to the left of his father. With one leg crossed over the other, his right elbow on the arm of his chair so his head could be propped up by his hand that let his chin rest on the palm. Long locks of hair that shined with a black luster fell past his shoulders, with only a little bit of those locks falling over his face, and he was clothed in the royal colors of Averos. A tunic with the left being blue, the right red, and the back being completely black. His pants wasn't of traditional style however, which were tights, but instead they were a type of black slacks with a gold trim on the sides. As the prince looked over to his father, whom was clothed in gold and silver robes, he studied the man's features. White hair that was cut close to the skin, going no further than the middle of his neck. His eyebrows also white and thin, with his eyes being a bright blue. The King was also fortunate enough to have very little wrinkles on his face, making him appear younger than his actual age which was close to sixty.

The King looked back to his son, and a soft smile grew on his features. "Look alive son. We have visitors from a distant nation known as Loc-Lac. Let's try to make our first impression a good one." The Prince scoffed as he sat up, stretching out with his arms before him. The King's smile turned to a frown, and his tone became more serious. "Terry. I know you don't like the royalty stuff, and I'm not a fan of it myself either. But we have many people who look up to us." The young Prince let out a sigh of defeat as he sat up right in his chair. Letting both feet sit on the ground, hands on the arm of his chair, and kept his features stern. With a nod to his father, the King smiled and gave an approving nod. However the Prince sat up even straighter as the doors to the throne room opened, their messenger walking in with three men following behind him. Each of the three dressed in traditional Loc-Lac ambassador attire. A skin-tight green tunic with a sand colored cloak draped over the shoulders with a red lining along the edges that stopped about mid belly. One of them was wearing a sand-colored kilt, and the other two with green tights on. All of them wore boots made of Jaggi hides.

The four stepped in front of the King and his son, with the messenger bowing in respect. "Your Majesty, I bring you the Ambassadors of Loc-Lac." The three bowed in respect, the one coming forward a few steps. "Greetings good King! I am Nathaniel."

The King nodded to the man, speaking in a friendly tone. "Well met Nathaniel! I am King Parves the Fourth. I hope that you didn't have too much trouble on your journey here."

"None sir. We are used to traveling a lot."

The King nodded again. "What brings you here good Ambassadors?" Nathaniel took in a deep breath, his form looking more relaxed.

"We believe there is a hunter that hails from here recently left our Kingdom. We were hoping to find him, and the Guild hasn't been able to help because he simply vanished."

Parves tilted his head, not exactly sure on what Nathaniel was speaking of. He looked over to his son for an answer, since the Prince normally kept tabs on all the hunters who came and left Averos, but he merely shrugged. Looking back to Nathaniel, the King cleared his throat before he spoke. "I don't believe we've had any hunters native from this region go to Loc-Lac." He glanced over at his son again, but the Prince merely shrugged like before. Nathaniel grew a confused expression over his tanned face, and turned back to regard his companions about the matter. Nothing but whispers coming from the three. A moment passed before Nathaniel turned back to the King, and asked the most shocking question Parves was ever asked.

"Does Vance Lacette sound familiar to you?"

Both the king and his son's eyes went wide, the name like a slap to the face. As they looked at each other they could see where this situation was going and hoped that there wasn't any consequences. Parves and Terry composed themselves, looking to the ambassadors. "Ah. Lacette? Yes. He hails from here, however there was an incident six years ago that got him exiled from our city."

"Oh. This is quite troubling then..." said Nathaniel with a disappointed tone.

Parves held his breath, and forced his next words out as calmly as he could. "He hasn't caused your kingdom any 'grief' has he?" He accentuated the word grief, but he breathed easier when Nathaniel shook his head quickly after the question was asked. Parves let out a inward sigh of relief.

"No sir. He has actually done us, and perhaps the rest of the world, a great deed. Him, and his skilled companions, have slain the Blackness. Alatreon."

The name of the beast sounded familiar, though many stories always became twisted and untrue once they reached kingdoms as far away as Averos. Parves looked to Terry, who was smiling brightly, and gave a nod. He gave Nathaniel a nod to continue as he regarded the ambassador again.

"He was to accept an award from the Kingdom of Loc-Lac, but shortly after he returned from his quest, he just vanished without a word. Our leader sent us here in hopes we could find him."

The King stroked his chin with a few fingers, letting the information sink in. The exilement wasn't too hard on Vance, and he was glad of that. Especially since the incident wasn't even his fault. But the city would not except anything but exilement of the young man. So he had to go. A wide smiled came across the Kings lips as he clapped his hands together and spoke in a cheery tone. "Well. I am sorry you've come all this way only to learn you were on a wild goose chase and I hope you do find him. Now, if you wish to stay we can prepare some rooms for you and your companions."

Nathaniel nodded eagerly, since his companions and himself were exhausted from the long trek across the desert to get here. "That would be really great sir. If you don't mind my prying. What happened that caused the exilement of Vance?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot digress that information. Nor do I wish to discuss it." Parves kept his tone friendly, but Nathaniel could see a pain in the Kings eyes. The ambassador didn't press the subject however, and he bowed low to the King. Parves nodded to his messenger, and the man bowed down in respect and led the three ambassadors away to their rooms. Once the doors were closed, both Parves and Terry let out sighs of relief.

"Good to know he's found a bit of good luck!" the Prince stated with a look to his father. Parves nodded in agreement as he stroked his chin with two fingers. "I was sure he would make something of himself, I only worry that something has happened to him."

The two men sat in silence for a few moments, but they agreed that Vance was all right.


	4. Chapter 3

III :

Realizing the Dangers

Most of the day had already gone by; the sun setting to the west and just starting to touch the horizon. To the east the stars were making their appearance within a violet sky, with small dark clouds dotting the expanse. A peaceful scene, and Averos was starting to follow down that quiet path. Merchant stands closed down and covered for the night, the many commoners now in their homes for dinner, and the city guard forming at the cities main fountain. It was during this time that they enjoyed quite frequently, since at night the city was revealed in an entirely new light. Taverns would fill up with many patrons, where drinking and games would take place. Towards midnight was when many pickpockets and brawlers would start looking for victims. It was this that the city guard had to put up with each night.

However, from the east came two screeching roars that grabbed just more than the guards attention, and the citizens of Averos were already looking out their windows. A few would come out and gather at the streets, many spouting out a rumor to try and make themselves look good. They all watched as the city guards at the fountain quickly made way to the eastern side of the city. When they arrived at the wall, only two guards went into the tower as the rest waited patiently outside. At the top the two met with the lookout on duty, expecting a report.

"Haven't seen anything suspicious but a small dust cloud to the east just before the Averan Maze. Nothing has been spotted, but judging by the roars I'd guess it may be a pair of Diablos fighting over territory." The two guards seemed to agree with the sentry's report, and one went back down the tower to start the lock down protocols of the city while the other stayed with the sentry. The two going to the towers torches and putting any of them facing outside the city out, leaving the inner torches burning. A few minutes later the rest of the towers, three total including the eastern one, did the same.

The other guards that were waiting for their shift assignments were walking down pre-assigned streets, shouting that everyone was to stay inside their homes until further notice. Many people cursed and gave rude gestures towards the guards, a few throwing food at them. Some guards would ignore it, but a few would take the offender into custody and escort them to the nearest checkpoint. It was, ultimately, for their own safety if the city became under siege by a Wyvern.

~VL~

King Parves was in the main dining room with the visitors from Loc-Lac, enjoying a meal of Apceros steak, cactus juice, and some various greens that could only be located in the Palace Gardens. A merry time it was, but it was interrupted as one of the King's messengers quickly walked into the dining room and approached Parves. The man getting close and whispering so only the King could hear, telling about the wyvern situation to the east. Parves nodded and dismissed his messenger, returning his attention to his guests. The three giving him curious looks.

"Nothing to worry about. One of our sentries has possibly spotted a pair of Diablos fighting over territory near here." he explained, the three nodding.

"Ah. We all know about that. Fights like that break out all the time during the year. Most of the time it's so far away we don't send any hunters to diffuse the situation." Nathaniel replied. His peers nodding in agreement as they continued to eat their meals. Parves merely shrugged, since to him it was just Mother Nature doing her thing. He had nothing to really worry about after all with the protocols he had set in place. By now the captain of the city guard was probably gathering any able hunters to set them off and observe the situation before acting. So, with another bite of his steak and a swig of juice, he smiled again and conversed with his guests.

~VL~

Vance and Gary were in the dining room of the old mans house when the roars pierced through the air. Gary blinked a few times, wondering what it could be, but Vance knew the situation just by the roars. Almost instantly he felt a small fear start to well up inside of him, and he looked down at his food plate and forced himself to focus on eating his food. He didn't realize that Gary was staring at him with a confused expression on his face.

"Vance? You look like something is bothering you." the old man stated in a worried tone.

The young hunter's mind was going through a certain memory of a hunt in the Forbidden Isles, playing out quite vividly in his mind. At the same time a depressed look crept onto his features, which made Gary even more curious about what was ailing his young friend.

"Something happened while you were in Loc-Lac?" he asked in a soft tone.

Vance's gaze snapped onto the old man, the depressed expression replaced with a ferocious glare. The old man struck a chord. Since during the last few hours Vance retold the long tale of his life for the past six years. How he met his now three trusted friends near a village atop of the snowy mountains to the east called Kotoko Village, his meeting with a huntress, the many quests the five took on, the journey to Moga Village and how their ship was attacked by a Leviathan just off the coast, the journey to the great Kingdom of Loc-Lac, and the great Jhen Mohran. He didn't tell of the hunt at the Forbidden Isles that put him and his team of six against the Queen of Elements herself. Alatreon. The death of a huntress that grew to be a sister to him. That horrible moment where he helplessly watched that woman be slammed into the face of a volcano then tossed into the river of lava. And here it was again, playing out in his minds eye again. He knew death was apart of his career, and he accepted the fact a long time ago. But the events at Loc-Lac, added with the dreaded Deviljho, had a big effect on him. So after his teams successful kill of Alatreon, he vanished without a word. He forced the thoughts away, coming up with a lie to try and dodge the truth.

"I'm done with the hunting gig. Too much risk involved." he stated quietly, forcing himself to eat again.

Gary scoffed at the claim. He knew better. "Oh stop it. You love the thrill of the hunt. The adrenaline rush that came from knowing that at any moment the battle can turn against you."

Vance let out a sigh and stared at his plate. Swallowing down the food hard and setting his fork down. The old man was right, and he knew it. However after the tragic events Vance felt he might need a break from the field, which was probably why he left Loc-Lac almost a year ago.

"Vance. I recognize that look from anywhere. Death is apart of what you do, even in engineering! You of all people know that very well, and you also know that it takes more than a little courage to do what you do." Gary said firmly.

Vance let the words go to him as he thought about the points that the old man brought up. Each one was true and couldn't be argued with, so the young hunter brought those memories up again and let them sit there in his mind. There was a few minutes of silence between the two, and Gary didn't say another word to the young hunter, knowing full well what he was doing. Vance looked up from his plate to Gary, and grinned.

"Now, I'm sure the city guard will be looking for able hunters to observe whatever is going on. Why don't you go see if you can get out there?" the old man said as he stood up from the table. Taking both their plates off into the kitchen.

Vance sat at the table for a moment more, feeling a lot better than he did for awhile. Standing from the table he quickly went up to his room to get ready. The time for mourning the loss of his friend had long passed, and he came to the realization that despite the dangers of Monster Hunting, he loved it too much to simply just walk away from it.


	5. Chapter 4

IV

The Elite Quad

There was no movement in the city. Torch lights were put out, any music playing was stopped, and the citizens were required to stay indoors for the remainder of the night. Only the city guard was about the streets, patrolling the different areas in search of any who would try to get out or if the city became under siege from a monster. However, there were seven forms standing at the city's main fountain at the center due to a possible request for a hunter, and so they stood awaiting for any news.

Vance was one of those forms among them, his form still dressed in casual clothing. A tight fitting white tunic, and black pants that stopped just below the knee due to the bottom being wrapped and folded around the top of his black leather boots. Along his back were two objects. A quiver that sat at an angle just below his waist, and a folded, blue contraption that was secured snugly on his back by straps. At a first glance one would mistake the object as a pair of swords, since they had ends that seemed to have the same curve similar to a scimitar, but where the two thick ends seemed to meet was a dull gray colored piece of steel that attached the two, and around that seemed to be two pieces of a circle with blue spikes that hung down from their frames.

He stood further off to the side from the other six, arms crossed over his chest and eyes fixed on the fountain before him as he waited. Though his physical appearance was meant to tell others he wasn't paying attention to anything, he could hear the whispers that came from the group near him. Words like 'idiot' and 'novice' were caught by the young hunters ears, and he silently scoffed. Holding his composure he watched two forms break away from the main group and approach him from his peripherals. When they got close, the young hunter turned his head to them and gave a short nod that was more curt than polite. The two stood before Vance side by side. The one on the left wore a set of plated armor that had portions of green scales and shells covering various parts of the body such as the chest, elbows, around the knees, and the waist coat. The man wore a helmet that looked like the traditional knight's head wear, where the front came out in a pointed end with only the top being able to open at the eyes on a single pair of hinges. It was open now, revealing a pair of beady brown eyes that seemed locked onto Vance's form. On his back was a large sword that was bigger than it's owner. The blade mainly composed of a bone that had a tan-greenish color, with the top covered in a series of green, spiked shells.

The man on the right was dressed in what seemed to be a mixture of armor. About his chest was a bright red plate that was made of a thick looking carapace with bulging, spherical shoulder plates. His arms covered with a series of blue interlocking plates with a single "blade" type object protruding from his left arm. His right arm only being covered with the blue plating to the elbow, with the rest protected by a fine chain mesh. His legs were covered with the same type of blue plating that covered his arms, the only physical clue of metal being around the feet where the foot of the boot was made. A single spike rose from each knee about six inches, giving the man a rather odd appearance. Atop the mans head was a single pair of goggles, his face completely revealed. It was round, his cheeks low and seemed flush, jaw line as round as his shoulder plates, and his eyes were huge and brown, and he stood taller than his companion. Strapped to his back was a simple, light bow-gun and it added to the mans odd appearance.

"Well met good sir!" said the gunner, his voice scratchy. Vance nodded in response, and returned his gaze to the fountain.

The two hunters looked to each other, the shorter one giving a short shrug. The gunner let out a small hum and returned his gaze to Vance. "I'm Braneld, and this is my friend Copperston."

"Nice t' mee' ye!" yelled Copperston. Voice muffled from the helmet he wore, and had a thick accent to it that made it even harder to understand him. However Vance still didn't really pay any heed to them, so Copperston released a muffled 'Bah!' before turning away. Braneld looking as if he was gritting his teeth together. The gunner went to speak, but Vance spoke first.

"I'm only here to see if my presence will be needed and worth my time." The young hunter kept his tone stern, and he turned his head to face Braneld with an expression that matched his tone. The gunner merely blinked a few times and went to protest, but he swallowed his words when Vance's expression changed from stern to one of anger. Giving him a rather intimidating appearance. So the gunner nodded and walked off, leaving Vance to himself again.

As he stared at the fountain again, his mind started to wander through many thoughts. Mainly going back to Loc-Lac and his conversation with Garyold earlier that night. The death of his friend replaying vividly again and again. He even thought he heard her screams of agony as her form thrashed about in the boiling magma. Vance felt his body cover itself with goosebumps and his belly start to tie itself into knots. But almost instantly he shook his head and tried to think about something else. To his luck, the other four from the group approached him. Giving him a needed distraction from his thoughts.

"Yo rook! Leave your armor at home?"

Vance blinked a few times and turned to regard the group. Seeing a very short form dressed from head to toe in armor. The entire set a mixture of metal plating and red and black carapace plates which came from a wyvern named Rathalos. The helmet proportionally larger than the rest, with the visor being a few vertical lines that curved outward to form a beaklike shape with the bottom half of a metal sphere. The rest had wing-like fixtures that sprouted out to cover the rest of the head. Hiding the mans head completely. The chest bore a simple type of plate that wrapped around the mans core, the shoulders having more wing-like fixtures sprouting out to the side. Around the belly was a fine mesh of red and black scales that was made from the same type of carapace on the rest of the armor though it seemed kind of off to Vance. This person must've been pretty skinny since the top portion was larger than the top. The rest of the armor, save the waist coat that was mainly a leather lining with black and red plates interlocking with each other, was pretty much the same. Metal plating with portions of red and black scales that focused on covering the elbows and knees. Strapped to the mans back was two hilts to blue blades, and at certain areas of his back Vance could see the fan like blades.

Behind this short hunter was his three companions. To the left of him was a giant man armored in a tan suit of bone armor made from a wyvern called Diablos. One twisted spike rising from each shoulder by at least a foot and a half, with the helmet covering his entire face with a small horizontal line for the eyes and a mesh for the mouth. The rest of his body just covered with the bone like plating that lined over one another in one direction. This made moving a rather noisy process, giving grief to anybody's ears. This man carried a large hammer with him. The handle being a black bone, the blunt edge itself a huge cylindrical object that was painted half blue and half black. It almost looked like an oversized crack pipe. In the center stood another man about the same size as the man in the Diablos armor, however he wore a suit of armor that was a hideous gray color and looked rubbery. The torso bulging out from the belly, with the legs being extremely thick, same with the arms. Vance knew the armor was quite formidable, especially if it was made from high quality Gypceros hides. Making anything out of that wyverns body parts was a feat, carving being more difficult. This man carried a hammer that was the same as the other hunters hammer. The way he stood even mimicked the man in Diablos armor.

Behind the group was an average sized man, dressed in traditional gunner armor that was comprised of metal and leathers. The chest had leather that was dyed red, with metal covering the belly and sides to protect the most vital organs. The metal plating went up under the leather over the chest, offering even more protection, but it stopped at the shoulder, so the rest of the mail was nothing but chain mesh. Allowing for maximum movement, and for a helmet he wore nothing but goggles. His face tan, hair cut short and tapered to show his blue eyes, pointed nose, and firm jaw line. This man also carried a bow gun that was folded in half behind him, meaning the gun was possibly as big as he. Just below the folded weapon was a large pack, where Vance knew held many types of different ammo. This guy looked like he was ready for a war, which was a good thing in Vance's opinion. Since Monster Hunting was a type of war against nature. So there the four stood before him, the two big brutes behind the shorter one, with the gunner standing a little further behind, shaking his head.

"What's wrong rook? Too impressed by the Elite Quad?" The short one said, his voice muffled. Ending the statement with a pose of his hands on his hips, the two brutes behind him going into a superman pose, their arms pointing in opposite directions of each other. The gunner, merely shook his head and placed his face in the palm of his hand.

Vance had to keep himself from laughing, but let a smile slip. The short hunter dropped his arms to their sides, and he stepped up to Vance. Despite the young hunters short height of five foot six, this short hunter was at the most four foot nine. Vance looked down to the hunter, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled quietly.

"What? You think I'm funny?" the short hunter huffed out, and Vance's features instantly shifted to a serious look. The short hunter took a step back, somewhat surprised by the sudden change in the young hunters facial expression, but held his ground. Especially since the two brutes behind him took a step forward. "Well rook? Gonna answer me?"

"I'm no rookie." Vance stated flatly. The short hunter jabbed him in the chest with a finger, but Vance didn't budge. Though he fought to not show that it was uncomfortable.

"You smell like a rookie!"

"And you have the scent of idiot." Vance shot back instantly. The two brutes shuffled slightly, looking to each other then back to Vance. The young hunter took note of this, even without looking at them directly.

"You have no idea who you're talking to…" the short hunter said in a low tone.

"Hm. There's a bit of irony in that statement." Vance replied, still not missing a beat, and could tell he was striking a nerve since the short hunter's form started to shake slightly. Vance merely perked a brow and shook his head, and looked to the right as two guardsmen quickly came to them, one gently pushing Vance away, the other forcefully shoving the short hunter away.

"Save it for the hunt you two!" Said the one moving Vance away, regaining his composure and standing before the group. The other staying in front of the short hunter and his group. "We have a quest that needs to be taken care of. We believe there are two Diablos' fighting in an area here about three or four miles away. Just observe and only attack if they get any closer to the city. However, we prefer them to be alive."

The short hunter scoffed, shaking his head as he walked away towards the southern end of the city, his troupe walking behind him. The other two, Copperston and Braneld, stared in disbelief at the four and to Vance, but eventually went in the same direction. Vance went the other way, back towards Garyold's home. He only took a few steps when a guard called to him.

"You! Stop!" said the guard, Vance turning to regard the man. His left brow slightly perked. "Don't let Frances get under your skin. Skilled in hunting, but harmless none the less if the lackeys aren't following!"

Vance nodded and went on his way, leaving the guards alone. The two looked to each other, a perplexed look on their tan faces.

"Hm…something seems familiar with that one…" said the one who had to move Vance away. The other nodding in agreement, but just walked towards the southern end of the city to see the other hunters off.

"Indeed. But we don't need to worry about that now. Let's get back to our posts after seeing these hunters off."


	6. Chapter 5

V

Rare Occurrences

In the private walls of his temporary room in the old man's house, Vance was gearing himself up for the hunt of the two Diablos. First getting all the items he would need to take with him, such as the portable traps, vials of different toxins to coat his arrows, a few medical supplies such as bandages and splints and a suture kit, and lastly a few cookies that he used as rations. These were round in shape, just like a cookie, and tasted a lot better than the Guild Issued rations that hunters would get on their missions. Placing everything in their rightful pockets in his knapsack, the young hunter went straight to his traveling bag, grabbing the gear he would wear upon his form. The different pieces all an azure color, with spines, scales, and burnished metal of an ore known as carbolite. One by one he fitted each of them on, locking the straps securely around his sides and hips.

When it was all put on, minus the headpiece, for he had another piece of equipment to wear on his face, he looked like an azure colored beast with a human head. The breastplate almost a black color, the azure scaly hides from a rare breed of Rathalos flowed in all directions starting from his chest. His shoulders seeming to sprout small, spiny wings where the tips looked as if they could cut steel themselves, with the scales flowing down his arms. The midsection belted tightly together with the scales that gave away Vance's thin build, yet they flowed beautifully down to the waist coat that covered the majority of his left leg. The coat crafted to fit interlocking shells where thorns stuck out as if to strike anything that came near, and along the flatter, yet rougher, surfaces of the azure coat were several leather straps with buckles on them. These were for his vials of toxins he would use for his arrows, allowing a quick access to them instead of having to go through his bag.

He grabbed his head gear, which was some leather and silk stitched together that he could wrap around the lower half of his head and neck. Protecting his nose and mouth from breathing in nasty fumes or anything that was kicked up towards his face. Completely satisfied that each piece of armor was securely on his form, he went over to the night stand and went through the tiny coffer where he kept his most valued possessions. Three necklaces laid inside the cherry red coffer, one a personal amulet, another that had an object wrapped in a black, silk cloth, and the last being two clumps of wax that he could place in his ears. He grabbed the earplugs and the necklace with the covered charm, placing them both around his neck.

In his life, many thought the ear plugs to be a good idea, but only for those who used blades or hammers. Vance agreed to an extent, but he was no ordinary hunter. Over the years he grew into an ability to tell where a giant wyvern was through his feet. Though the direction wasn't exactly 100% accurate, just knowing the general direction was all he needed to escape certain death from a wyverns fanged maw.

A knock came from the door, grabbing Vance's attention from the hunt back to reality. A few seconds after, Gary entered the room, just as Vance was locking a quiver full of lance-like arrows on the right side of his hip. The old man stayed silent for a moment, admiring the young hunter. He spoke just as Vance was slinging his knapsack and securing his folded bow onto his back.

"I wish you luck tonight, and I have to say I am proud that you decided to go!" His tone expressed happiness, and his features also portrayed this. Similar to the expression of a child getting a new toy. The young hunter scoffed, and the old man's expression melted away to a discerned look.

"I may not even have to fire a single shot. There are six others going on the hunt." Vance doubted those words, but he couldn't predict the future. No one could. He looked to his old friend, releasing a smile to put the man at ease since he looked troubled. "I may not be joining them, but I'll overshadow them and jump in if things go sour. Hopefully they're not the type to just outright kill the beasts."

Gary tilted his head, slightly confused at the young hunters remark. Most hunters preferred to kill their targets, since it was "easier", and Vance was one of those types of hunters. Yet here he was, standing in his guest room, saying something completely different from what he would've said years ago. The old man saw how he changed, and begun to wonder just how much more was different. He kept the thought to himself, walking out behind Vance as the young hunter passed him.

"I'll walk with you to the gate."

~VL~

A few hours had passed by, the sun completely gone from the sky turning it into an indigo blanket with the twinkling stars searing their places within the dark, vast horizon. Enough light was out for anything to see, though one would have to strain if they wished to clearly see what was before them.

From afar the two hunters known as Copperston and Braneld were watching the two Diablos fight each other. These beasts, a hulking wyvern with a large head, tusks, and with two horns rising from their foreheads, and a crescent type club at the end of their tail, kicked up sand spray all about them, making them oblivious to the four forms creeping about them as they went into a horn lock.

The two hunters noticed the four slowly circling around the fighting duo, waiting to see what they would do. Within seconds, they saw two rush the beasts, but at that time one of the Diablos broke free of the horn lock, spinning quickly to smack his opponent with his tail before digging into the ground ferociously. The other beast stumbled back, trying to shake itself out of it's daze but found itself blinded by a sudden bright light that erupted before it's eyes. Copperston and Braneld looked to each other, both excited to see an elite group of hunters take down a wyvern like Diablos. As they looked back to the fight, they could see two hulking forms beat away at the wyverns face, with a smaller one seeming to dance around with blades just under the beasts belly. The fourth further away in a safe distance firing some type of round into the beasts side. The two hunters thought they could hear the beasts scaly plates crack away, and perhaps they did. But just as soon as the fight started, it ended with the beast collapsing over onto its side. Giving a few death throws before going limp completely. They saw the four gather in front of their newest victory, and heard a few cheers. Braneld clapped his partner on the back, getting up quickly and looking to the clusters of plateaus to the east.

"I bet the other one went to the oasis! We should go see if it's there and slay it before they find it!" he said excitedly, starting off towards the plateaus as Copperston was getting up to follow him. He stayed silent though, feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. The one that ran away somehow knew the other four hunters were about to attack, so for him and Braneld to take it on alone didn't sit well with him. He forced the thoughts away, remembering that this is what he lived for. The thrill.

~VL~

They gathered in front of their kill, all bearing smiles, though only one showed since he didn't wear a helmet. Frances patting each of his companions on the back, praising them for a job well done. They kept their victory short, and went to work on carving the most expensive, and hardest parts of the wyvern from it's body. Frances focusing on the tusks and fangs of the beast.

"I'd say we should go after the other one, but I'm sure we scared it off! So it won't be coming back around here anymore! HAH!" Frances said as he sawed off the two giant tusks from the beasts mouth. The two objects almost tipped like a spear, and was bigger than his hands. He looked at the two tusks, and then at his hands. He felt embarrassed at the fact he was so small, but he pushed the thought away as he started to work on the horns. Careful not to chip away the hard bone so they could get the highest price possible for the parts. He looked over to the gunner seeing him atop of the beasts back carving out the hard spinal cord that was the hardest part to get from a Diablos.

"Think you can get the spine out in one piece this time Dorian?" Frances yelled to the gunner, who looked up from his work and gave a rude, yet playful, gesture towards Frances. "Hahah! Well, if you get it out in one piece, I'll buy you the most expensive drink on the menu!" He watched Dorian's face light up and go back to work, but laughed once he heard the gunner curse aloud and the cracking of bone. Again Frances laughed, knowing that the gunner messed up on getting the spine out in one piece. After that there were no more words exchanged, just the ripping of flesh and cracking of bone slightly echoing in the air as they carved the beast apart.

~VL~

"What a mess…" Vance muttered to himself as he examined the fresh corpse of the wyvern. The sky was completely dark now, with the stars being the only source of natural light in the area. The young hunter took out the necklace that held the covered charm, unraveling the silk cloth to reveal a crystal that glowed in white light. A light crystal is what it was called, and it lit the area around him by at least five feet, allowing him to study the fresh corpse even closer. The wyverns face was completely cracked open, the large tusks gone, the horns gone, several portions of its back gone and even the spine. The young hunter had no problem guessing who took down this beast. He walked around the dead wyvern, noticing the belly completely sliced open and the organs piling atop one another when they slid out. Vance was glad he wore the face covering, since the smell was barely starting to seep through the fibers of his mask.

Placing the silk cloth around his light crystal to melt back into the darkness of the night, he listened closely to the environment around him. To his fears all was quiet, which was never good. There was no sign of the hunters or the other Diablos, and with a fresh carcass laying out here he knew that some scavengers would gladly prey upon it, and maybe even the young hunter himself if they outnumbered him. He walked over to the black hole in the ground that was just in front of the dead wyvern, peering down into the vast void. He reached into his knapsack, pulling out a tube like item. He popped off the top, and it erupted in a red glow as sparks and flames danced out in the air. He dropped it into the hole, watching it bounce off it's walls before hitting the bottom and skipping to a different direction. Vance's left. He looked in that direction, seeing the outline of the plateaus that made up a place known as the Averan Maze. He thought back to when he hunted in these lands a long time ago, slightly recalling an oasis that nestled itself in the very center of that maze, though there was only one path that lead to it. Four others would lead you through many days of traveling, then eventually put you in the volcanic region. Perhaps the other Diablos sought shelter there to get away from it's pursuers. He started off in that direction, but froze in place upon hearing the distant shriek of a Diablos. He sprinted towards the plateaus, hoping he could get to the fight in time before the beast was killed.

~VL~

The four hunters, who was only about an hours walk away from the plateaus, stopped when they heard the second Diablos echo through the skies. They all looked to each other, nodding to Frances as he started towards the plateaus.

"Let's go get him! I wonder if we'll run into that punk ass rookie!" he said eagerly, and the two brute hunters with hammers nodded in agreement. Dorian however slumped, his mind racing through the different scenarios that would take place if they did happen to cross paths with that hunter Frances argued with back in town. The two brutes quickly followed their boss, Dorian however lagged behind for a few seconds before following. Letting out silent curses towards his team for wanting to do such petty things.

~VL~

The frantic gunner dived out of the charging wyverns way, dropping his weapon in the process. The beast trampled the weapon, breaking it into unrecognizable pieces. As soon as the gunner hit the ground, he rolled up onto his feet and sprinted away. Arms and legs pumping as sand spray kicked up into the air from his feet. The Diablos slid to a stop, quickly turning around and starting another charge towards the gunner. Within a few strides the beast was upon it's newest victim, but instead of continuing it's charge, the wyvern stopped. The gunner dove to the side again, and got up to go back the opposite direction, but met the wyvern face to face.

The gunner staggered back with a yelp of surprise, trying to get away from the beast, but before he could turn around the Diablos lunged forward, impaling the hunter in the gut with one of its horns. The pointed tip sliding past the metal rings of the armor like a hot knife going through butter, piercing the gunner completely with his blood spraying out in a fine red mist. The man went to scream, but only a gurgled cough escaped from him as blood oozed from his mouth and nose.

The beast lifted it's head, with the gunner sliding down it's horn easily, and with a shake of it's head the body fell apart. The two pieces hitting the ground with a wet smack, with the organs plopping on the ground around them and a mist of blood floating over the mess. The wyvern shook it's head again, looking to one side before letting out a shrill shrieking type roar, sweeping it's head across the air as it echoed throughout the entire place, going for miles in the desert night.

~VL~

Vance entered the oasis, glad that he remembered to take the middle path when he came across the five entrances into the maze. However, all he saw was the dismembered body of a human and a circle of blood and organs laying about. With no sign of the Diablos, the young hunter grew concerned about where the beast was at. If he wasn't careful, he would join the unlucky victim that he saw before him. Carefully walking towards the mess, his footfalls barely making the sand crunch with each step, he looked around. Seeing nothing but multiple shadows that overlapped each other and seemed to stand over him, as if they would come to life themselves and swallow him whole. He kept his mind in check though, remembering that there was a real threat that could still be in the area. Once he was by the fresh human corpse, he uncovered his light crystal and found himself fighting back some vomit that suddenly jumped up in his throat. The upper body was laying face up, and he could see the face of Braneld molded in an expression of terror, and his legs were a few feet away facing down. Several organs, and the long tube like masses that was his intestines was strewn between the two pieces. Vance could even feel his stomach go uneasy at the thought of being impaled.

He wondered where Braneld's partner, Copperston, was at since he didn't see him at all when he entered the oasis. He looked back the way he came, and saw a peculiar shadow to the right of the entrance. The black lines overlapping in a way that it seemed almost unnatural. The young hunter stood up, slowly walking over to it and watching as the body of Copperstone came into view. His form smashed completely into the wall, the armor pieces broken in many places with blood slowly oozing from the lines and cracks. Vance let out a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. He had a feeling that these two would more than likely get themselves killed, and here it was proven to him. The sight of the two bodies though started to revive some older memories in the young hunters mind, and he had to fight the horrifying images away as he heard the scream of his deceased friend. He staggered back, putting his face into his hands as he fought away those horrible memories. He dropped to his knees, looking up towards the sight of Braneld, the shadows taking over again since he crawled back out of range for his light crystal to illuminate the corpse. He took several deep breaths, despite the smell of organs and blood being so strong near him, and managed to calm himself. He slowly got back up to his feet, holding his head with just his finger tips as he regained his focus.

_**PHEESH**_

_**The sound of rushing sand and grating rock forced his mind to come back to reality, and he quickly grabbed his light crystal in one hand and ducked down. Nothing was in front of him, so he turned around, seeing the silhouette of the other Diablos emerging from a hole by the pond. The beast slowly dipping it's maw into the cool water for a drink. The young hunter watched the shadow, barely making out the rest of the beast asides from the large shadow of it's form. The beast was calm, behaving as if there were no hunters around. To Vance it meant a good thing, so he slowly crept his way back to the entrance. Rising up to his feet as he exited the oasis, but stumbled back as he ran into a short form. **_

_**His hand released his light crystal, revealing Frances and his companions. All carrying huge bags on their persons. The young hunter cursed his luck silently, wishing he had a helmet on so the group wouldn't recognize him. **_

"_**Well well, if it isn't the rook." said Frances as he approached the young hunter, his hands lifted up towards the sky as if he was offering praise to some deity. "My how my luck is with me today!" He stated with a laugh, the two brutes chuckling in unison, Dorian just shaking his head. **_

"_**This isn't the time nor place idiot." Vance kept his tone harsh, his eyes narrowing as he stared the short hunter down. However Frances didn't back down, and instead stepped right up to him. Face to face, though Frances had to stand on the tips of his toes, the two stared at each other hard. Though Frances sly grin was hidden under her helmet. Suddenly, the short hunter back away, looking past Vance as he saw the silhouette of the Diablos move about in the background. He seemed to jump in joy, looking over to his companions.**_

"_**There's the one that got away from us!" he said as he made his way around Vance, but found himself spin around as the young hunter grabbed him.**_

_**Almost instantly the two brutes were upon the young hunter, him and Frances staring each other face to face once again. Vance didn't show any sign of being worried that he was outnumbered, but Frances was glad he had his helmet on and his companions near by. **_

"_**This is Team Quad's hunt rook. Back off!" the short hunter said, pushing Vance back with his hands. Yet the young hunter didn't budge an inch, and his glare became more intense, making the short hunter uneasy. Yet he still held his ground against Vance.**_

"_**The mission given by Averos was met, and from the looks of those bags you guys got quite the haul of parts already. Leave this one be and just leave." Vance kept his voice low, though he knew that eventually the wyvern would catch on that it had visitors.**_

"_**You just want this one to yourself!" Frances replied in a harsh tone. Almost yelling. Vance could see the Diablos move about more often, and he knew that the wyvern caught the sound of their voices. He merely shook his head though, staying calm despite the growing danger.**_

"_**I don't need the parts, nor the money. I'm in this business for the thrill of the hunt, and for many of the wyverns well being."**_

_**Frances laughed aloud, but it was short lived when the Diablos let out an angry roar and started to charge the group. The five of them instantly scattered, with Frances and Vance going one way, the other three going the opposite direction. The wyvern charged through open air, sliding to a stop and quickly turning to begin another charge. Vance had turned around, slowly backing away to gain more distance from the beast as he waited for it's move. He smiled as the beast charged towards the other three, and he instantly knelt down while going through his knapsack. He fished out a circular device about the size of his head, though it was only a few inches thick. As he set the device on the ground to arm it, he could see Frances running towards him out of the corner of his eye. He brought up one arm, ready for any blows, but was shocked when he merely ran past him. Clapping him on the shoulder as he stopped behind him.**_

"_**Temporary truce." he said as he drew his hooked blades, looking to the group that was running in circles about the wyvern. **_

_**Vance set the trap, streaks of yellow shot out from the device, lighting up the area slightly. As he got up, he pursed his lips and let out a loud whistle while bringing his folded bow in front of him. Thumbing the switch to unfold it, the weapon snapping into place and the rubbery string tightening. **_

_**The wyvern stopped paying attention to the other three hunters, and looked in Vance's direction. With a roar, it started to charge towards the two, with Vance backing away from the trap quickly. Within a few strides the beast was upon them, but as it's foot set down upon the traps paralyzing streaks, it found itself stuck in one spot. Twitching helplessly as it let out a high pitched squeal. Frances charged on in, going between the legs and dancing about with his blades. The edges slicing into the thighs and belly of the beast. The two hunters wielding hammers were upon the beast almost instantly, both going to work on it's right leg. Repeatedly smashing in the beasts knee in their own sequence. The gunner firing rounds off one by one as he slowly advanced towards the twitching wyvern. The sight of the four working together was quite a spectacle, and Vance had to force himself to come back to reality. **_

_**The trap suddenly fell apart, the streaks releasing it's grip on the beast completely and letting it fall over on it's right side. Frances leaping out just in time, with the hunter wearing Gypceros armor barely escaping the crushing weight of the falling beast. The other hunter wasn't so lucky, and found himself pinned beneath a thrashing beast. Frances let out a startled cry, but Vance was already a step ahead of the entire group. Acting quickly, he took a vial out from his coat, the vessel filled with a blue liquid. He put the vial in a small port on the quiver, a sucking sound coming from the port as the liquid shot through several rollers. Vance took out an arrow that was coated with the liquid, the lance-like object about as long as his arm, and strung it. Pulling it back effortlessly and taking aim at the beasts back. He released the arrow, the projectile flying through the air and piercing into the Diablos hard shell on his back. Within a few seconds, the young hunter had several more arrows flying into the beast. **_

_**The beast stopped moving after the eighth shot, and went completely still as it's breathing became more rhythmic. The other three hunters rushed to their companions aid, trying to dig him out. Vance replaced the vial of toxin back onto his coat, walking over to the group as he flipped the button to fold his bow in half and secure it on his back again. The trapped hunter was pinned from his belly down, and made no movements what so ever, and when Frances and his companions helping him pulled the still hunter out from under the sleeping wyvern, Vance could already tell the man was crushed to death. He felt a bit of relief when Dorian confirmed the man was still breathing, though barely. **_

"_**You need to get him back to town as fast as you can. If you don't he'll surely die out here." Vance said in a grim tone, though he hid his sympathy well beneath his features. Frances stood back as Dorian and the other large hunter helped the injured man up, carrying him away as fast as they could. The short hunter approaching Vance. **_

"_**This is still our-"**_

"_**You're not killing the wyvern." Vance interrupted, fixing his gaze so it was on the short hunter. Frances let out a growl, and his body seemed to tremble, but he stormed off after his companions. Once they were gone, Vance started to inspect the wyverns injured leg. To it's luck it wasn't completely smashed apart, maybe sprained if the Diablos was extremely lucky. Dressing the wound would still be a difficult task to do, and with only about an hour of time before the sleep toxins wore off, it left little room for error. The young hunter took a deep breath, putting his bow and knapsack on the ground before digging around the wounded leg of the wyvern.**_


	7. Chapter 6

VI

Caught Off Guard

The Elite Quad had arrived back to Averos with little time to spare for their injured friend, all of them wearing grim expressions. Upon entering the gates, they were quickly greeted by the guards, who summoned up a stretcher that would carry their injured companion to the infirmary. Dorian went with them, leaving Frances and the remaining large hunter at the gate to debrief the guards to what went on. After telling their tale of the successful kill of the first Diablos, finding the second one and leaving it behind with Vance, they were told to wait at the gates for further orders. Frances paced about, anxious to get back out there so he could see if Vance was truly trying to sneak off with the kill of the second monster. Not only that, he never met someone who got under his skin as much as the young hunter did. So it made him grow a hatred for the man. He did have to admit that Vance was not a rookie, far from it, but to be ordered around and insulted just made the short hunter want to scream out in frustration.

A single guard came back to the gate, dismissing them from waiting and telling them that their friend was being seen by the city's doctor at that very moment. Frances grinned behind his helmet, and grabbed the large hunter that was still with him and quickly walked back out into the desert night.

"We'll be back later! We need to pick up the hunter that's still out there!" he called back to the guard at the gate, the large hunter following closely behind, and both quickly broke into a steady run back to the east towards the Averan Maze.

~VL~

The hour Vance had was almost up, but the young hunter had made a lot of progress with the time he had on treating the wyverns wounded leg, and the majority of the lacerations he found around the belly. The knee completely wrapped with medical bandages, and it took every single roll he had to completely wrap it up. Thankfully the cuts weren't too deep and would heal over time, so all that was left to do was to wait for the beast to wake up and try to stand. If it could, and the wyvern was able to move around without too much trouble, Vance would leave the beast alone. If not, it would have to be put down.

The hour was finally up, and the young hunter was hiding within some brush near by the sleeping wyvern. A few silent minutes passed by slowly, and then finally the wyvern stirred awake from its slumber. For a long while it laid in the exact same spot, whimpering in pain that it felt in it's right leg and around in it's belly. Finally it shifted all it's weight forward, it's chin resting on the ground as it shifted most of its weight on its good leg, with the right barely having any weight on it. Slowly it rose from the ground, using it's chin and wings to help steady it. There was a few times it almost fell over, but it managed to keep it's balance. Back on it's two feet, the wyvern limped away towards a canopy at the northern end of the oasis, laying down on it's left side to keep any weight off the injured leg.

Vance let out a sigh of relief, and slowly started to make his way out of the oasis. Once he was walking down the snakelike path that lead back to the open sands of the desert, he walked easier and a bit faster. He couldn't help but feel worried that Frances and his group would come back another day and slay the Diablos while it was weak to gain revenge of their injured friend. The young hunter shrugged the thought away, and decided that he would just have to keep tabs on the group to make sure the beast didn't fall victim to their ruthless killings.

Just as he was leaving the Averan Maze and coming back into the open desert he let his light crystal shine and spotted two shadowy forms running towards him. One small, one large. The young hunter knew who they were, and wasn't surprised to see them come back, but for just two of them to come back was pretty stupid. So, he stopped walking, waiting for the two forms to approach him, and as they came within range of the glow from his light crystal. He let his right arm rest on his quiver, his left arm down by his side casually.

"Well, is the beast dead?" Frances asked as he and the large hunter approached Vance.

"No. Sleeping. And well enough to sustain itself." Vance replied, his tone normal and absent of any emotion, with his answer leaving the short hunter speechless.

The large hunter slumped his shoulders, and Vance fought the urge to smile at the brutes reaction to his words. The urge became even harder to resist when he could see Frances form shake slightly from anger. A small smile slipped, and the short hunter exploded in anger.

"You're lying! The beast is dead, and you have the most valuable parts hidden somewhere around here!" yelled the short hunter, pointing an accusing finger at Vance. The young hunter's smiled faded away, a more serious expression taking it's place as his eyes glowed with anger. He took a few steps forward, getting face to face with the short hunter and bearing down on him with a glare. Frances seeming to back away a step and even cower away, the large hunter backing up a few steps. Vance didn't show any satisfaction he felt that he had finally cornered a mouse.

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Though I will admit that you and your group are skilled, you as a person is nothing more than excrement that I would have to scrape off my boots. Killing fast doesn't mean jack shit out here, all it means is that you can kill fast. To know how to live off the land, and know the creatures being hunted makes a real hunter. Now, if you don't want to end up in the belly of some wyvern, I suggest you pull your head out of your ass and start acting like a real hunter." Vance's tone was harsh, almost a yell even, and he could tell he struck a cord by the silence that took place between the three of them.

The large hunter walked up to Frances, placing a hand on the short hunter's shoulder and shook his head when Frances turned to regard him. The brute kept any words to himself as he walked off, his shoulders slumped. The short hunter stared after his friend for a moment before turning back to regard Vance. With a nod, he took a step back while bringing his hands up to his helmet. Lifting it up and away, to the complete surprise of Vance, to reveal the face 'she' kept hidden. Golden hair was tied back in a bun that she let unravel to have the locks drop and bounce off her armored shoulders, her eyes as blue as the daytime sky, firm jaw line, and full red lips. Vance only blinked a few times, and if there was any hints to his surprise, it didn't show on his expression. The two staring at each other for a long while in complete silence, until Vance walked past the short huntress.

"You win this time." she stated flatly, and how her voice was completely different when she didn't have the helmet on! It was like a soothing lullaby to anyone's ears, yet it didn't seem to sway Vance one bit. Though he did stop upon hearing her words, he didn't turn to regard her.

"You're still an idiot. An even bigger one if you think good looks will sway my mind." he replied, continuing his way back to Averos and leaving the short huntress alone.

Never had she met someone who got under her skin so much, and she started to feel a slight attraction towards the hunter. She grinned to herself as she turned around, eyeing the young hunter whom was walking away from her.

"How attractive…"

~VL~

Dorian was waiting at the gate, impatiently pacing back and forth. When he saw the three hunters come within range of the gates torch lights, he couldn't help but stare at Frances. Her helmet was off, and she wore a grin of satisfaction upon her young features. To Dorian that spelled disaster, and he let out a soft groan. He regained his composure as Vance walked by, the large hunting stopping at the gate and waiting for Frances to approach the two.

"So, how is he?" she asked Dorian. There was a hint of agitation within her tone, and her posture showed it as well when she crossed her arms over her chest.

Dorian shook his head. A grim expression on his features as he told her the sad news. "He didn't make it I'm afraid. The weight of the Diablos literally crushed all his bones in the lower half of his body and probably the organs within him. They tried all they could but, they said he lost way too much blood and couldn't get medical help in time."

The news hit the two hunters like a large rolling boulder, and the color drained away from France's face. Her friend didn't make it, and even though it was the risk of hunting, she still felt a bit guilty for his death. However, it didn't stop her mind from blaming it all on Vance. If it wasn't for him, he would probably still be alive. She looked for him, but he had already disappeared into the city. She let out a howl of frustration, stomping her feet in the ground. She fought back the tears, storming past Dorian to head for the tavern they were staying at.

Dorian didn't watch her go, but instead looked to the other hunter, more concerned for his well being. The brute slowly walking up to him with his shoulders slumped. A muffled voice came through the helmet, and it seemed to break on every word.

"M…Max is…d-d-dead?" the large hunter said, and Dorian nodded slowly. The big man slumped slightly, and Dorian could hear the large mans nose start to run. He patted the brute on the shoulder lightly, walking with him back to the tavern. Dorian wanted to say something, but he kept silent.


	8. Chapter 7

VII

Mysteries Unveiled

A few days had passed since the tragic hunt. Though Vance paid no heed to the Elite Quad's loss he did feel a shred of sympathy for them. The event brought more than those feelings for the young hunter, and the past few nights was a testament to his memories of the tragedy he witnessed months ago. This time however the pain seemed less agonizing, and only prevented him from sleeping properly. So for the past few days, he found himself sitting atop the roof of Garyold's house and gazing out into the horizon at the sunrise. This was an event he rarely sat through, but right now it seemed to help him cope with the pain.

As he gazed out into the purple sky, the sun slowly peeking over the distant mountain range to the east, his mind started to shift to different memories. Happier ones instead of the painful, despairing cluster. He thought about his friends he left behind in Loc-Lac, and where they could possibly be right now and what they were thinking. Sydd, the aged veteran and blacksmith, was more than likely taking his break from hunting by roaming the world for rare types of ore. Grenn, the ever valiant and nomadic minimalist, could possibly be traversing the world as well. Living off the land as he normally would. Craven, the sex crazed, gun powder obsessed demolitionist, was probably causing havoc within Sydd's shop again. Though since he started a family he calmed down a lot on certain aspects of his personality. Vance remembered the many experiments him and Craven would work on. Mainly trying to improve hunting traps and tools. To which on some they were successful, and some was better off being left alone.

A soft smile formed on the young hunters lips as he remembered the fond memories as they shifted to another set. A huntress whom he met a few years ago when he and his friends were passing through a village in a range of northern mountains, Pokke. Her name was Mythril, and to Vance she was almost like his wife since the two were very fond of each other. They were both the same height almost, with her being an inch or two shorter. They almost had the same hair color, though her hair had a brighter tint of blue, where Vance's was just silver. The style in which they had their hair was nearly the same, at least before Vance's grew into the long mane that it was currently, except Mythril kept any hair out of her face, and the young hunter would have some bangs drop down the sides of his face. Their eyes set them apart, asides from the obvious female parts the woman had. Her eyes had a soft gaze, and were like sapphires. His eyes had a fierce look to them, and shined green like emeralds in the sun.

He could remember their first quest together. Upon arriving in Pokke, the four were approached by the Village Elder and asked to take care of a pair of Blangonga's, a large ape-like monster with a vicious attitude, that was causing havoc near the village. The huntress happened to be in the village at the same time, so her, Vance, and Sydd set out to take care of the problem. It took the three a few days to subdue the two monsters, since both seemed to strategically work with each other when attacking them. When they came back, Vance and Mythril seemed to have started a new friendship, so during their stay in Pokke, they went out on small quests where they had to gather rarer items for clients. They took their time, enjoying each others company and sometimes even staying camped out for days before coming back to the village.

The young hunter smiled to himself as Mythril's beautiful features appeared in his mind. He missed the woman dearly, and knew he should make an appearance soon so she wouldn't think him dead. The first thing she would probably do to him would be to beat him with her own hands for making her worry so much, though he was sure she understood why he disappeared. Out of everyone, she understood him the most, and could tell what was going through his mind as if she was reading it like an open book.

With a sigh the young man brought himself back to reality and watched at the bright half circle of the sun that was above the mountain horizon. The sky turning into more of a mixture of purple and blue, and the stars slowly starting to fade away. The people of the city were slowly waking up, a few merchants getting their stands ready for yet another day of business. Vance watched them for a few moments before going back to the sunrise. But as the bright disc rose from the mountain range he could feel his eyes start to hurt from the glare. He looked away then, turning back towards the hatch that would take him back inside. He slipped back into the house silently, like an assassin creeping up on it's victim. If it wasn't for Garyold still being asleep the old man would probably think it was a thief. He quietly walked towards his room, and just as he got to the door a loud knock echoed throughout the silent house. Vance blinked a few times, almost tempted to ignore it but remembered that people here would not stop knocking until the door was answered. So he quickly went down the steps and to the door. He put his ear against the door, but all he heard was the distant sounds of merchant stands being put up. When he opened the door though, he felt his heart skip a beat and his skin go pale. Before him stood a man, slightly taller than him and was dressed in the traditional Averan colors.

"Greetings! Are you the hunter who participated in the quest a few nights ago with the Elite Quad?" the young man said in a high pitch, and almost feminine voice. Vance only nodded in return, and it seemed to put the guest in a nervous state of mind. "Y-you have been invited to a grand lunch with our most noble king!" he said, and handed Vance a red envelope.

The young hunter blinked a few times, and took the envelope from the man. Debating on listening more or just closing the door. Within the back of his mind, Vance could hear himself screaming no. He looked to the messenger, a brow slightly perked. Somehow the young man seemed even more nervous, like he was staring a wyvern in the face. Which was amusing to Vance but at the same time it confused him.

"T-thank you g-good sir! W-we hope to see you t-there!" the messenger said, and with a curt bow he quickly walked off. Even that was feminine as well.

Vance stood in the door way for several moments looking at the red envelope in his hands. Weighing his options while calling himself an idiot for not ignoring the messenger. He couldn't ignore the invite, because to disrespect the king like that could get the guards after him. Closing the door he immediately went to his room and straight over to the mirror. Looking at himself he knew that the guards wouldn't recognize him with his silver locks and the goatee on his chin. But for King Parves, he would recognize him on the spot, though he had his doubts that he would throw Vance into the dungeon.

"Well, guess it's time…" he said to himself as he walked out of his room, down the steps and out the front door.

~VL~

Things were starting to look up for Frances since the death of Max. The parts they got from the Diablos turned out to rake in loads of money, which half went to paying off a burial place for her fallen friend, and to her surprise the king of the city wanted her and her group to attend a lunch with him. Dorian and Johnny decided against going, since Johnny was never good around the upper class and Dorian didn't want to leave him alone. So it only left Frances to go to the lunch. That thought didn't stay long, since her mind started thinking about that hunter who was with them a few nights ago in the oasis. Would he be there? If so she would have to find some way to entice him to her. Though without making herself look or act like a whore that one would pick up off the street.

She sat on the bed in her room, looking off as if she was under some type of trance. Not realizing that her door swung open with Dorian entering the room. Only his yelp brought her back to reality and made her realize she wasn't clothed at all. She screamed, grabbing the covers and shielding herself as Dorian ran out the room.

"Dammit! Knock next time!" she screamed as she ran to the door and slammed it shut. Making sure the latch was locked in place and testing the door. Satisfied that no one else would come in to bother her, she went to her closet and started sorting through what she had for clothes. As far as casual clothing was concerned, she was ok. Formal wear was never her strong point, and she only had four dresses. One pink, one red, one purple, and one green. Pink was too girly, and why she had it bugged her. Same with the purple dress, and since red would be too obvious as to what she was up to, it left her with the green dress. It was designed to hug the body close, to show off curves. It had one strap that went over the right shoulder, and the bottom was only an inch below her mid thigh. It left little to the imagination, and she was sure it would attract that hunter.

She had a little over an hour before the gathering, and so she quickly got herself ready, making sure her hair was perfect and her body completely washed. She kept giggling manically to herself, thinking of how she could entice her target. If only she knew the real truth about the hunter she was so attracted to.

~VL~

It was noon, and King Parves was waiting within the main hall of his castle. His cooks and maids spent all morning preparing a large meal for his guests, and since the Ambassadors of Loc-Lac were still in the city, he knew it would be the biggest feast he's had in a long time. He never really invited hunters to banquets, but with the ambassadors here he figured he'd show off a bit. At that moment his son was with them in the main dining hall keeping them company as they waited for the remaining guests to arrive. The king himself wanted to greet them himself when they walked in.

The main doors opened with a guard escorting a beautiful woman with flowing, curly locks that were blonde. Her figure slim, as it would be of someone whose career was monster hunting, and the green dress she wore left little to imagination. Showing some of her bosom, though small, and her long legs. Her face was like an angel, where her eyes glowed a beautiful blue like azure jewels. King Parves could feel a bit of agitation creep up within him from the woman's choice in apparel, but he did admit her beauty surpassed the harem girls he kept in the palace. As they approached him, the guard gave a salute, and the woman bowed respectfully.

"Sir, I bring you Frances Bragetson as you requested!" the guard said firmly, holding his salute. The king nodded to him, and the guard quickly relaxed.

"Thank you sir. Ma'am, it is a pleasure to meet you. However I was told that there were three others?" the King asked, and almost instantly he found himself regretting the question when the woman's expression went from happy to a depressed look.

"One died during the quest. The other two wished to be by themselves. " She replied quietly, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but please. Enjoy yourself.", the king patted her bare shoulder, nodding to the soldier to escort her to the dining hall. The woman gave another bow before walking off with the guard, disappearing behind the doors of the dining hall. The king stood in silence for a moment, slightly disappointed that only one showed up. Those thoughts changed however when another guard walked through the main doors, escorting a man who was wearing more casual like clothing. His pants similar to haidate and black in color, where his fine leather boots of the same color stopped them just under the knee. On his chest he wore a finely sewn white shirt that hugged his body tightly, showing his thin physique, with a small black cloaked draped across his shoulders. His face was young and handsome, free of facial hair and impurities save for a scar that ran down the left side of his face. His hair was silver, and cut to a short length where it spiked in the back in layers and parted to the sides on the top naturally, with several strands falling down the sides of his face. King Parves felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the young man, recognizing him almost instantly.

"Vance?" he asked shocked, almost excited, and the young man gave a low bow, then smiled as he straightened himself out.

"Shall we throw him in the brig sir?" the guard escorting him asked, his tone more apologetic than accusing. King Parves caught the tone, shaking his head with a smile. The king grabbed Vance by the shoulders, a look of great joy on his old features.

"That won't be necessary. His sentence is pardoned as far as I'm concerned, and I don't hear a riot of citizens about his return so I'm sure it'll be ok." the king replied. The guard nodded, saluting him before walking off outside, closing the main doors behind him. The two stared at each other for a moment, the king hardly knowing what to say.

"So, you've invited me for lunch." Vance said as he procured the invitation he was given by the messenger earlier that day. The king released a hearty laugh, guiding Vance to the dining hall.

"There is one other hunter here, whom was supposed to be accompanied by three others, but I was informed by her that one died and the other two wish to mourn and be left alone." the king said, and Vance stopped in his tracks upon hearing the words. Parves looked back to him with a perplexed look.

The young hunter sighed inwardly, knowing who the king was speaking about, and he dreaded the fact whole heartedly. He wondered if the dungeon would be a more peaceful place for him than in the company of that huntress who annoyed him so much. He took a deep breath, nodding to the king as he continued walking to the dining hall.

"Had to remember who you were talking about."

~VL~

Prince Terry, along with the ambassadors, felt their brow moisten upon Frances entering the dining hall. None of them could keep their eyes off her legs, and their imaginations ran wild on what was further up between them. The woman smirked, knowing that they stared at her like pigs, and how easy they took to her figure as well! The moment was lost when the Prince seemed to regain his composure, and stood to greet the woman. After exchanging pleasantries, the ambassadors introduced themselves with one giving a rather odd in pleasantry that sounded like it came from an Aptonoth Farm. The five sat down, exchanging in conversation (Which was mostly the men asking Frances personal questions.) and the woman found herself having to dodge questions that seemed to invade her personal life. They all stopped and looked to the door as the King entered. All confused to the smile the old man wore on his features, until a young man walked out from behind the king and stood next to him.

It took Frances a moment to recognize him, and upon doing so she was impressed with his looks. He looked much different with his hair being much shorter and face clean of any beards and moustaches. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead found herself nearly falling out of her chair upon hearing one of the ambassadors scream out with joy. She quickly regained her balance, sitting up straight in the chair and looking to the ambassador with a confused look on her face.

"That's him! I thought you said he was banished from here!" the ambassador exclaimed loudly, his voice echoing off the massive walls of the dining room. The King held up his hands as if putting up a defense, though he held a smile.

"The sentence has been lifted. Turns out Vance happened to be in the area at this time." he said, looking to the young man. He sat down at his chair, motioning for Vance to take his seat.

The young hunter kept silent, ignoring the quiet snickering and whispering coming from the ambassadors as he took a seat directly across from Frances. The woman stared at him in awe, confused about the entire situation, and the young hunter only offered her a shrug. He looked over to the three ambassadors, recognizing the Loc-Lacian clothing they wore, and he felt a bit annoyed at the situation he was in.

"Good sir! Where did you vanish to? After your teams successful hunt of the Alatreon yo-"

"Yes. I'm well aware of what happened. I missed some…ceremony of sorts. I had more pressing matters to attend to." the young hunter said, cutting off the ambassador. He didn't even offer a look in the mans direction, but he held up a hand to signal that he did not want the matter to be pressed further. He heard a huff of frustration come from the man, and Vance merely shrugged in reaction.

"Well, now that we are all here. Let's get started shall we?" the king said after clearing his throat, grabbing his glass and raising it up in the air. Everyone did the same, with Frances taking a few seconds to get hers since she was so distracted by the hunter across from her. After a toast to the meal, everyone started to eat and drink. The ambassadors and Terry asking Vance a plethora of questions about his adventures. The only one who sat quietly, and barely touched the food, was Frances. She only stared at the young hunter across from her, studying his features and seeing how increasingly annoyed he seemed after each question unless it came from Prince Terry or King Parves.

She felt attracted to his looks, though she also felt a strong jealousy towards him for being so famous. Foreign ambassadors were praising his name and ready to drop to his feet, the king and his son also seemed to know him on a personal level. For her, she was just another hunter, and that thought made her angry. Looking down on her plate, she could feel the loneliness creep up on her, and she began to feel very small in the world around her. Wrapped in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that Vance was trying to shift the attention to her, until she heard him say something that caught her attention.

"I'm not the only hunter at this table." he said, with his eyes fixed on Frances. The woman blinked a few times, looking around at everyone who was looking back at her. Looking to Vance again, she could see the annoyed expression as clear as day, though she doubted it was aimed at her. However the fact that he helped her get some type of attention didn't sit well at all, and so she felt her anger boil again.

The king released a soft chuckle, enjoying the time they were all having. Though he didn't know the tension going on between the two hunters. He looked to Frances, clearing his throat and asked her a question. "So Ms. Bragetson. How long have you and your crew been hunting for our city?"

The woman looked to Parves, her expression blank as if she didn't know the answer herself despite being in the city for well over a year. When she did finally answer, her tone was soft and everyone in the room had to turn their head to hear her. "A year…and three months."

Nathaniel, sitting at the end of the table, stood up quickly from his chair with a laugh. "Look! Even she is surprised that she dines with an elite hunter!"

Vance winced at the ambassadors words, despite the truth of the title, and he cast a glare on the ambassador. He never bragged about his skills, and he certainly didn't like someone praising him for it while degrading someone else. Even if the person was someone like Frances, and because of the ambassadors actions, the young hunter knew he would have to deal with the woman's anger about it later. With a deep breath, he looked to the woman with a soft smile.

"No. She's fine. She's trying to be lady like, which in the profession she is in I can imagine the task to be close to impossible. Doubly so since most of the hunter populace are males." His words had a truthful ring to them, and everyone seemed to agree. Even Frances flashed a shy smile once she realized the compliment, but then realized that it was probably just a façade. Still, she held onto it.

The talk lessened as they all ate their meals, conversations keeping only to simple matters like city affairs and politics even. Vance still couldn't help but wish that he tried to sneak out of the city.

~VL~

It was later that day when the sun was still sitting high up in the sky, though slowly drifting down to the west, that the hunters left the castle grounds. The three Loc-Lacian Ambassadors nearly following Vance out of the gates, pestering him to come back to their city so they could further use his services. It took a promise that he would visit the large city in the near future, and even though the ambassadors didn't like the answer, they accepted it. The young hunter went to walk back to his home, but stopped short when Frances stood in front of him.

"Yes?" he asked with an annoyed tone, and with a facial expression to match it. The woman didn't back down from him though.

"You stole the spot light!" she said angrily, crossing her arms as she pierced him with her eyes. Vance merely let out a sigh and went to walk past her, but she jumped out in front of him. The two stood there, glaring at each other for a moment.

"What exactly are you getting from this?" the young hunter asked, and the woman narrowed her eyes and replied in a harsh tone.

"You. Stole. The. Spot. Light."

"You're an ignorant fool if you think that."

The young woman gawked at Vance with her mouth hanging open. The words seeming to hit a chord within her and causing her to look down at her feet while her body shook with anger. She heard the young hunter scoff, and out of the corner of her eye saw him walk away.

"Not every man is going to bow down at your feet, even if you have to dress up and make yourself look like the cities main harlot. Now, get over it and quit pestering me with your idiocy."

Frances released a gasp upon hearing those words, her stomach churning and tears forming over her eyes. She turned around, ready to say something but the man was already gone, leaving her alone in the street. She tried to control herself with some deep breaths and after a minute she seemed to regain her composure. Walking in the direction that would lead to the tavern she stayed at, she felt several bouts of rage trying to escape, with each round worse than the last. Barely managing to keep herself calm as she reached the tavern doors, she pushed through them and quickly ran up the stairs. The patrons looking in her direction but confused as to who just came in. At the top of the stairs she went into a dead run to her room, bursting through its door and slamming it shut. With her back to it's frame she started to breath heavily and quickly. Her vision almost blurry from the tears now flowing freely. She jumped into her bed, grabbing a pillow and stuffing her face into it and releasing a scream. When she couldn't let out anymore air she would lift her head from the pillow, take another deep breath, then release another scream into the pillow. She did this several times, until she passed out on her bed. Her breathing returning to normal and her body laying still.


	9. Chapter 8

VIII

Quiet In-pleasantries

It was a couple hours past sunset, the moon only showing a sliver of its silvery form in the black sky. Clouds spotted the black vastness here and there, floating along an unknown path in one similar direction. The City of Averos was oddly quiet this night, with the taverns not as filled as they normally were. Normally until mid night the streets were somewhat filled with different patrons that would wander from tavern to tavern for food, drink, and entertainment.

What made this night so different? Vance wondered, letting the question play about in his mind as he stared out at the city from the window in his room. His form dressed in a black leather like armor that was skin tight, showing off his slim figure. Strapped to his waist were two blades in their scabbards with the longer of the two on his left. This blade was in a rectangle type shape, the other a dagger where the blade curved upward from the hilt. Both were mainly black, with the sharp edges of the blade being a yellow tint that slowly melted away into the black shading of the weapons. These swords were made from rare parts that had to be expertly carved from certain types of large insects, and killing them without them falling to pieces was a challenge in itself. The edges of the weapons were extremely sharp and had a rumor about them that when a small bug landed on their edge, it would simply split in half. That, and their small size and maneuverability, made them the perfect weapons to have to dispatch small monsters or opponents quietly.

The young hunter turned from the window, slowly walking over to his bed where his knapsack laid open. The contents inside visible to any standing near it, and those who would look in would see basic survival supplies. Flipping the flap over the opening and tying it closed, he swung it over his shoulder and secured it onto his back. Satisfied that it didn't bounce and move with his movements, he walked over to the end table next to his bed. Opening the small, red coffer sitting on the end table to retrieve his useful "trinkets" he kept inside. One was a chain made of platinum that held a small charm the size of an egg that opened up to reveal a small painted picture of him and Mythril. The other had a black chain with a charm that was wrapped with a black silk cloth that housed the light crystal within it's folds. Tonight it would serve two purposes. To let the city guard know that he wasn't sneaking around the city, and to find animal tracks in the ground. He scooped both of them up, tucking the crystal away in his armor first, then kissing the small egg softly before hiding it away with the other amulet.

Tonight he wanted to check up on the Diablos he left in the oasis a few days earlier to make sure it was still alive and able to live on it's own. He was sure the beast was more than capable to live independently, especially since it's main food source was cacti. His only concern was that Frances took her fellow hunters with her and finished the beast off for vengeance.

He shrugged the thought away as he went to leave the house, making sure the front door was locked before making his way to the city's central fountain. During the first few steps of walking outside he quickly unwrapped the light crystal on his chain, and in an instant the area five feet in front of him was dimly lit up. It was as if he held a lantern before him to light his path. He passed many houses along the way to the city's central fountain, and just before he got there he came across a noisy tavern that stood three stories tall. He stopped and looked to the tavern, seeing the many patrons dancing, drinking, and laughing. The second and third stories were just lighted yet covered by blinds. He thought back during the times he lived here before being exiled and remembered that this was a place where many hunters that stayed within Averos sought a room to sleep in. That was the main purpose of this Tavern, asides from offering a place to throw your money away buying drinks and personal time with the many women who served those drinks. It used to have a closing time, but since Averos grew bigger the owner decided to keep the place open all day and night year around. The owner faced a lot of fines in regards to disturbing the peace and waking up the neighbors but he made so much money that he didn't care, and neither did the guard. It was more of a fee to keep things running and as long as there was a good source of income for the guard, they didn't care.

Blinking a few times as he came back to reality, he looked to the sign by the door. A rather haggard looking thing that had an appearance of toppling over at the slightest breeze. Across it's wooden surface were the words "Desert Haven". The young hunter scoffed at the notion, and went to walk away but a shadowy figure that appeared in one of the second story windows caught his attention. Gazing upon the silhouette he felt a disgusted feeling creep over him. Shrugging the feeling away he turned and was on his way to the city's central fountain. Little did he know, that the silhouette continued to watch him until he disappeared from it's sight, then disappeared from the window.

~VL~

Frances was quickly out of her dress and into her armor. Yanking her dual blades from their rack on a dresser and securing them tightly on her back as she rushed out her bedroom door. Not taking the time to grab her knapsack or lock the door to her bedroom. Instead she quickly ran down the stairs, jumping down the last few steps and bolting out the front doors into the dark streets. The young woman quickly made her way down the street towards the city's central fountain, staying as close to the shadows as possible incase her prey wasn't too far away from her. Though within a few minutes she spotted her prey, and slowed her pace down to follow him from a distance.

They came up to the city's central fountain, and Frances quickly found a empty stand to hide behind, peeping around the darker corner to keep her form hidden. She watched her prey stand at the fountain for a few moments, each second that passed seemed to be a minute to her. Until finally he moved away from the fountain, heading south.

"The city gate huh? Planning to go out tonight and bathe in the rewards of a dead wyvern aren't we?" she said to herself, a nasty grin forming across her lips as she waited a moment after he disappeared behind a building to continue her task of following her prey. Except when she rounded the corner, he was gone. There was no empty stands or anything in the streets. Just an empty pathway lined with buildings and shadows. She acted casual and walked a few steps down the street before deciding to go back the way she came and go down another road.

~VL~

As soon as Vance rounded the corner, he quickly went down an alleyway, ducking into the shadows and waiting there. He grabbed the crystal around his neck, shielding the light with his hand to keep him from being spotted. Thankfully there wasn't any guards around to see him do this. A moment after hiding, he saw a form walk by, and stop directly in front of the alleyway's entrance. He couldn't make out much, but with how short it was led him to believe that it was the huntress whom he had the displeasure of having lunch with earlier that day. He could feel a disgusted look form across his features, and he was tempted to step out and confront her then and now. He held his tongue, and most importantly, his hiding ground and after a few moments of silence, the form walked away. Vance waited for what seemed like forever before moving, and when he did he kept to the shadows without the guidance of his crystal. A few minutes later he arrived at the main gates, and with a wave to the gate guards he vanished into the desert night.

~VL~

Frances was briskly walking down the back roads that she knew would eventually lead her to the main gate. A single blade drawn in her defense incase anyone jumped out at her. Though it was rare anyone would dare jump a hunter, unless they were heavily drunk. It made her feel comfortable though to have a blade out. It seemed like hours to her though to go down the back roads, but when she finally came to the city wall, she quickly headed for the city gates. When they were within her sight she put away her blade and slowed her walk down to a more casual pace.

As she approached the gate, a couple guards waved in her direction. She returned the wave, still keeping to a casual pace as she passed by them. One of them gave her an odd look, but kept to himself. She noted this, and wondered briefly why he was looking at her like that, but she focused on her main task. She stopped however when hearing one shout out.

"Another hunter just left. He is wearing all black, be careful and happy hunting!"

She grinned underneath her helmet and raised a hand to give off a wave, continuing on her path. Once she was a couple yards away from the gate she broke into a jog, also disappearing into the desert night. She kept to the main road for a few minutes, before heading east towards the Averan Maze. She was sure that was the direction the hunter went, and was more than sure he was going to retrieve the rarer items from the Diablos they left behind. However with every step her mind started to throw questions at her. What would she do if she caught up to him? What could she do? The hunter was obviously skilled, and was one of the elites that slew Alatreon.

She slowed to a stop as a new reality sunk in. Since he was dressed in black armor, how would she even find him? Even if he had that weird charm that gave off light, she knew he wouldn't just walk around with that exposed. That was a death wish. She was tempted to go back then, but once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the dark lines of the distant plateaus that made up the Averan Maze. With a renewed determination, she broke into a jog again. She came this far already, why not keep going?

~VL~

The young hunter was standing before the mass of plateaus that made up the Averan Maze, looking to each of the five entrances where only one would lead to the Oasis. He had to think for a moment to remember which path was the correct one again, and once he started down that middle, snake like path, his crystal charm lighting the way, he thought about the person who was quite possibly following him. Hopefully they would take the wrong path, thus leaving him to his business and making it quick. As the path way opened up into the oasis, he quickly wrapped the light crystal with the silk cloth, blotching out all of it's light. He crouched down, waiting for his eyes to readjust to the darkness. Thankfully there was enough light coming from the moon to illuminate everything slightly, so the patches of trees and vegetation gave away a little more than a dark silhouette while everything else was a shadow. He looked over to the area where he originally found the Diablos resting, but it wasn't there. He held his breath as he scanned the area with his eyes, almost squinting to see anything, but when he saw a strange shadow that looked to have two horns, he smiled.

Quietly he tip toed towards the shadow, realizing that the beast was probably hiding in some brush. A feeling of dread washed over him though, and got stronger as he got closer to the brush, and once he was almost upon the beast, the smell of rotting flesh hit his nostrils. He brought up a hand to cover the lower half of his face, barely able to breath through the stench. Once he walked around the vegetation, he could see that the beast was behind the brush, not in it. He uncovered his crystal charm, the light illuminating the grotesque scene of the dead Diablos. He was about to silently curse Frances and her fellow hunters, but when he saw the bite marks all over the dead wyvern he had to look over the beast again. The body was completely disfigured, on it's back where plates and spine casings would be, was nothing but ripped muscle and broken bone. A wing was completely missing, and it's abdomen was completely gone. Rib cage included. The young hunter walked to the back of the beast, and instead of finding a tail, only found a nub where the end looked like it was ripped off rather than sliced off.

Vance backed away from the carcass, his thoughts running through different answers to the questionable predator that tore this Diablos apart. Jaggi and Genprey couldn't do this type of damage within the short time span of a few days, let alone make it this grotesque looking. Nothing from the Piscine family could do this. The only two wyverns he could think of were the Tigrex and the Deviljho. Both were ancient wyverns, with nasty, aggressive attitudes, and an even more nastier appetite. Tigrex took after a flying Wyvern, though it's forelimbs eventually became used for walking rather than flying. It's jumping ability was one to be feared, and when it was airborne, one was wise to seek cover. Deviljho, or Joe for short to Vance, took after the bird wyvern family. Though it's size rivaled almost everything that lived. The hulking green beast was known for a huge appetite, and due to it's high body heat it was constantly hungry. Tiring the beast was easy, but once enraged it was wise to retreat.

And that was what Vance wanted to do. Which ever one it could be, he was sure that it was not far off especially with a fresh water source near by. He had all the reason he needed to leave, so he covered his crystal charm and headed for the exit. However just as he was about to come up to the snake like path that would lead to the desert, he saw a shadowy figure walking towards him. Cursing his luck, Vance drew the blade from the scabbard on his left hip, holding the tip low to the ground before him. The figure seemed to slow down on it's approach, and even held up it's hands. When the figure came within the light's radius, Vance's suspicions on who was following was confirmed.

"You. I should've known you would follow me." he said in a sour tone. The short hunter took off her helmet, the light from the crystal barely illuminating her features. Though to her Vance was hard to see, and the way the light had cast shadows on his face made him look very intimidating. Almost ghost like.

Her expression was one of anger at first, but transformed to disgust when the smell of rotting flesh hit her. She pinched her nose shut with two fingers, making her voice sound like she was inhaling helium.

"It's dead?"

"Eaten."

Her eyes shot wide open on the response, and she covered her mouth with the same hand that pinched her nose. The young hunter kept his expression, not really wanting to stay and chat.

He grabbed her by the arm and started down the path back to the desert, and she followed him though only briefly. She broke free of his grasp, causing him to stop. He turned to speak to her, but the worried expression on her face made him quiet.

"By what?" she asked. Voice filled with curiosity with a hint of worry. Maybe even dread. Vance believed that she was going to start her usual childish acts, so he took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

"Don't know. It's missing it's tail, a wing, and it's belly is completely gone. Whatever it was, it's big, and the bite marks tell that much. I'm not one to find out what it is by myself, and more so without the proper supplies and gear."

Vance started down the path again, and to his surprise Frances followed. Quietly. There was a moment of silence between the two, but when she finally spoke up, her tone was quiet. It made him wonder if he at least got it through her head that trying to act tough in front of him wasn't going to land anything favorable in her direction.

"See? It died anyways. You should've just walked away and let my team kill it. Hell, Max would probably still be alive!"

"Doubt it. If you idiots would've left it alone, not only would the wyvern be alive, but so would your friend, Max." Vance shot back harshly, keeping his voice low. He heard the young woman huff, and couldn't help but smile despite the situation. He kept going though; almost talking casually. "Wyverns from the Blos family are rarely ever messed with by other wyverns unless one is severely injured. If you were a true hunter you would know that."

There was a moment of silence, but he stopped as soon as he heard Frances take a breath. She got one small word out, but she stopped when Vance's hand collided with the left side of her face. She stumbled back, even fell onto her rear while holding the left side of her face with a hand. Eyes wide with shock as tears slowly seeped out. Above her stood Vance, bearing down with his harsh gaze.

"Don't yell, lest you want to become the next meal of the wyvern that ate that Diablos." his voice a whisper, he turned away from the woman and continued on down the path. He heard Frances get back up, and could hear her dragging her feet along as she followed him. It remained quiet between the two for a long time, even after leaving the Averan Maze and crossing the desert span back to Averos.

Frances, despite feeling belittled and having a searing hatred for what Vance did to her, felt a little more attracted to the young hunter deep down. It made her sick to her stomach, to go back and forth between the two feelings of mutual attraction and hatred. Still, she slung every insult she knew at him under her breath. It wasn't until an hour later that she calmed down, and decided to try and start a conversation.

"How….long have you've been hunting?" she asked quietly, almost sweetly.

Vance let out a frustrated sigh, stopped walking, looked up to the sky and shook his head. He turned to regard her, his eyes filled with anger. "Will you just take a damn hint and shut up? I really don't care to have any type of interaction with you."

She let out a small gasp and watched for a few moments as he turned back around and kept walking, and for the rest of the trek back to Averos, she stayed quiet. Still slinging insults at him under her breath.

~VL~

By the time they reached Averos, dawn was slowly coming to the land. The sky slowly turning from a black blanket to a blue. With the east flaring with different colors of red and yellow. Mixing together with the sky and making pink and purple colors even. The two walked past the guards, both looking exhausted. Vance stopped, and Frances kept walking past him until he spoke.

"Get some rest. Once you do, get your boys, gather some supplies, and meet me here in the afternoon. Preferably while the sun is still in the center of the sky." he said calmly. He jogged off after that, taking a different route to get back home. Frances didn't even turn to regard him, or waved him off. She stood there at the gate for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and walking back to the tavern she was staying at. Desert Haven.


	10. Chapter 9

IX

Preparations and Good Food

Vance was standing at the front gate, dressed in his azure armor with his bow strapped to the left side of his back and quiver behind his right hip. Sitting next to his form was his knapsack, and another sack that was about the same size as he. The larger of the two filled with a few spare quivers, a box that held many vials of toxins he could use, and the materials to put up a tent for a base camp. His knapsack held basic hunting supplies, as well as some food supplies that would come in handy. If his thoughts proved true about Frances and her fellow hunters, they would bring along extra food and supplies to help with the hunt. For now, he waited at the gates, entertaining a few memories he had in the past with random hunters. Some good, some bad.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Frances showed up with her fellow hunters, each with a bag of supplies in tow. Though the big one of the group carried two bags that were nearly twice his own size! Vance nodded to them, and the gunner and brute returned the nod. Frances did nothing, and no one could see her face since she had her helmet on. So did the brute, but Vance figured it was one less thing for him to carry. The young hunter was relieved to see them carrying their own bags of supplies. Too many times could he recount the quests he took where one, two, or three of the hunters didn't bring supplies with them and it always ended horribly.

He noticed that they were all looking at him, and the young hunter cleared his throat before he spoke. "Well met. I am Vance Lacette, the hunter you were with a few nights ago during the Diablos situation." There was a small silence between all three of them, but the gunner nodded and spoke in a casual tone.

"Dorian Liftkot at your service. This brute behind me is Johnny." The brute flexed an arm and released a friendly growl which made the young hunter scoff harmlessly. It entertained him, and he wondered just how interesting this quest would be with these three.

"Well, as you three know the second Diablos that night was still alive. Yes. Was. Your boss and myself have come across the beast late last night. It was eaten." he said in a serious tone, and he looked to Frances as he described what happened the night before. There was a small gasp from Dorian, but Johnny and Frances didn't seem to have a reaction. The young hunter mused to himself about Dorian's reaction, and how convincing them to come along was going to be easier than he thought initially.

"So, what are we hunting exactly?" Dorian asked, Johnny nodding in agreement. Vance looked to the ground as he thought about that question.

"To be honest I don't really know. It has to be big, the amount of flesh and bone that is gone from the Diablos tells that much. Tigrex maybe. Seems like a viable reason, but then again who really knows."

Vance took a moment to look at the three hunters before him, waiting for any of them to say anything. When none of them said a word, he continued on with what he had to say.

"We need to assess the situation incase 'it' decides to come here. Which I'm sure it will, since there are plenty of yummy things to eat here." His choice of words had the three beginning to question the young hunter's position on the situation even though his tone was stern. Even Frances was starting to think the man was cynical. However, the three couldn't find any grounds to disagree with Vance, so they nodded in agreement. The young hunter smiled then turned around to head out of the city. Dorian and Johnny followed closely behind; Frances however kept her distance behind the group. It all seemed odd to her that Vance was to be the one calling the shots. Odd and upsetting, since she was the one who would always give out the orders. She tried thinking of something else and picked up her pace, catching up to the other three and coming into a conversation between Vance and Dorian.

"So, I brought plenty of sleep rounds. Johnny has a few small barrels with gunpowder in them." said the gunner, a smile on his face as he thought to impress the young hunter. His smile slowly faded away though when Vance didn't seemed pleased of the news.

"The sleep rounds will come in handy. But tell me, Dorian, what will a few small barrel bombs do to a large wyvern? We'd need something with more of a punch to it. Johnny's hammer would likely do more harm to the beast, especially if the blow lands on the top of its head."

There was moment of silence between the two, Dorian looking off into the distance as he let the young hunters words play through his mind again. He had a point.

"Hm, that is true I suppose." he said, and another moment of silence came between the two.

"Boss lady is falling behind." Johnny said, breaking the silence between the group. Vance and Dorian looked behind them, seeing the short huntress a couple yards behind them. The young hunter scoffed to himself, then continued his way down the sandy road.

"Leave her be, she's probably just a bit worn out from this past week." he lied, but to say what was really on his mind would more than likely complicate things for the mission ahead. So he kept his thoughts to himself, only speaking when spoken to. Eventually they brought up what they would do once they reached their destination, and how they should shape the battlefield to keep the battle in their favor. To Vance's surprise, Frances offered a few ideas.

They would set their camp atop one of the plateaus and use a tent covering that had a similar color to the rocky surface. This would help them blend in a bit more, though at night they would have to put out any fires to avoid attracting any unwanted attention from a flying wyvern. From that point they would be able to see the entire oasis from above and stay away from whatever it was they were hunting. For night watches they decided on having two people stay up for two hours at a time, while the other two would rest within the tent. Frances insisted that she stay with Vance, her reason being that Johnny and Dorian knew each others fighting styles. Though Vance thought otherwise, he didn't argue. It wasn't like he would be fighting with just her, because the plan was to monitor the oasis and strike all at once when the time was in their favor. With a battle plan agreed on, the four walked faster towards the Averan Maze.

~VL~

The entire cave was riddled with bones, carcasses that were fresh and old, and blood stains discolored the ground from a brown to a dark red. Each corpse looking almost identical to one another, and each one gave off a horrible stench that one could choke when trying to breathe. It was home to a vicious beast. One that had an appetite that was never appeased and it would travel to the ends of the world to find food. When it would find food, it would bring it back here if the size of its catch allowed it. It was only a few days before it left a rotting Diablos corpse at an oasis, which was starting to be its favorite hunting place.

The sound of rushing wind came from the cave entrance, followed by a loud thud. It was silent for only a sliver of a moment, before a low growl and a sound similar to distant thunder constantly echoed off the cave walls. The beast stalked its way into the cave, with its head low to the ground, its body a dark orange with blue stripes, and instead of wings, it had forelimbs that seem to pull the beast down the narrow tunnel that would lead to the main room where it kept all of its prey. The webbing that would allow it to glide in the air looked about as sharp as one's blade. Its snout was like a rounded rectangle with two nostril openings at the front end just before it curved down to its dripping, fanged maw. One bite from it could easily snap a human being in half even with the hardest of armor protecting his body. Its tail, starting off fat from the end of its body, slowly narrowed down in size until the last couple feet, where it would quickly come to a point. The blue stripes along the dark orange color circling around the tail as if they were like rings put on a metal rod.

The beast angrily stalked over the old rotten corpses, pushing some aside with ease as if it was trying to find one that was fresh enough to eat. There was nothing edible at all, and its stomach growled loudly, almost louder than the beasts roar itself it seemed! Oh how hungry it was, and the thought of tasting fresh blood dominated its thought process so much that it grew excited and quickly charged back outside. Leaping from the cave entrance into the air, its wings spreading and catching the air to give it flight in the direction of its newly favored hunting spot.

The Oasis.

~VL~

The four managed to achieve quite a lot before the sun was setting. They reached the oasis, gathered various supplies like water, wood and grass for fire, and set camp atop the plateau by climbing the northern wall of the rocky mass. Once the tent was set up, Vance and Dorian worked on making a fire to boil whatever water they managed to get while Frances and Johnny kept watch over the oasis.

Silence was all there was between the two, and the big hunter seemed worried about his boss. The entire trek here she was quiet and had her helmet on, even here during the watch. The only time she would speak was when agreeing to a plan Vance and Dorian came up with, and even that was jut a curt hum. Johnny went to say something to break the silence, but Dorian beat him to the chase when he yelled that dinner was ready from the door of the tent. Johnny seemed to just vanish from his spot, and Frances only shook her head at the normal reaction of the big man when it came to food.

The brute wasted no time in rushing through the tent flap, quickly finding his seat and scooping up a plate that held a slab of meat two inches thick and nearly the size of the plate and a small helping of cooked, desert vegetables. He ripped his helmet off, revealing a young, boyish like face and a shiny bald head. Even his eyebrows were gone! Johnny was done with the greens in one gulp, and tore away at the meat with savagery like a starving Deviljho. Vance sat by the fire, blinking as he stared at the big brute that downed the food.

"He's always like that when food is involved. Hell, that's all he ever worries about. "Dorian stated with a chuckle.

Vance looked up to the gunner with an odd look, and then shrugged as he went back to cooking and preparing the other three plates.

"As long as he doesn't bite my fingers off."

Frances entered the tent shortly after, her helmet in her hands. She sat down, placing the head piece beside her and taking a plate of food from Dorian, offering a nod of appreciation while placing it on her lap. She picked up the thick flank of meat first, taking a small bite and chewing normally. The movements of her mouth slowed as she felt a tingling sensation on her tongue, and her body getting slightly warm. Blinking she eyed the cooked steak with curiosity. Juices made it glisten in the fires light, and she could see the pink color inside. It was tender and full of flavor, but she felt like she just drank a hot drink. A liquid one consumed to help keep warm in colder climates, and even fought against hypothermia. Eventually the tingling feeling on her tongue changed to a burning sensation, she looked to Vance, taking another bite. The young hunter was eyeing her when she took the first bite, figuring she would be the first to ask what was in the steak. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"I figured this would be better than those disgusting hot drinks. Not to mention a lot easier on your liver as well." He explained as he finished making a second plate for Johnny, who was well finished with his first. The brutes face lit up on seeing a second plate, and Vance scoffed quietly as he picked up his own plate.

The four of them sat around the fire in silence. Well, with as much silence one could enjoy when having to listen to someone literally inhale their food. Eventually Dorian and Vance talked to themselves about ammunition and ranged weapons. Frances still kept to herself. On occasion she would let her gaze drift from the fire to Vance who sat directly across from her, then back to her food. Within a few hours of the day, her two companions Dorian and Johnny seemed to like the young man. Though she did admit to herself that his food was pretty damn tasty. The situation angered and perplexed her at the same time, and she began to wonder just who Vance really was. He seemed to be more than one of the few elite hunters that roamed the world, especially since he was apart of the hunting party that slain Alatreon, was revered by Loc-Lac, and was literally a personal friend to the King of Averos! Just how many other nations sang songs of praise of this hunter? He was more like a living legend than a person, and that also bugged her. As many other questions ran through her head, she didn't realize that she was staring at the young hunter.

"Yo, googly eyes. Would be a good idea if you quit staring at me and focus on your food before big boy next to you steals it." Vance said with a hint of cynicism, and it seemed to bring the young woman back to reality.

She looked to Johnny at her left, seeing his eyes wide as he literally stared hard at her plate like a child stared at a new toy. She kept the flank of steak and handed the vegetables left on the plate over to Johnny. She shook her head when realizing that the plate went from her hands to the brutes face in a second flat. She focused on the rest of her meal then, making sure she didn't look in the young hunter's direction again.


End file.
